An Innocent Divided
by Captain Snippet
Summary: Struggling to protect himself and his siblings from their alcoholic father's abuse, and trying to deal with some new arising problems at school involving a young redhead girl, Sora begins to feel his balancing act come crashing down on him.
1. Scarves

Chapter 1

All in all, I really just didn't want the teachers to make me take the scarf off. I needed it to cover... Well, to cover something, let's say. I knew they would, always pick on me. Jerks. Just because I talk back sometimes, and because I might have vandalized some school property a few times. Blown up the chemistry lab... Once, or twice.

I could see it then, walking down the street. They'd nag, and preach, and if I didn't comply, send a note to my parents. Biting my lip, I realized that I was in a lose-lose situation. If I took the scarf off and they... saw, they'd ask questions. If they called my parents, they'd freak out... Like they did before.

_"Sora! Have you no sense of-"_

Even then, I could remember what happened six years ago in vivid detail. They were so upset... And all because of one little mishap. Well, okay, seven little mishaps. But I really didn't mean to do anything wrong. I was eleven, for God's sake. I didn't think having one or two drinks could cause any harm. Sure, we had classes that said 'alcohol is bad, drugs are bad, sex is bad' but really, how many kids pay attention to them? Besides, it wasn't like my parents avoided alcohol like little angels themselves.

As a matter of fact, they were worse. Although being worse than me wasn't very hard. Ever since the 'incident' I've avoided alcohol as best I can...

But I digress: there I was, walking down the street, lamenting over my life, heading to school. School. A place I hated almost as much as home. Which was saying something.

"Hey, Sora!" a voice came from behind me.

It was Riku. I made sure to look really happy, because for some reason, if you're not really happy, Riku becomes suspicious. He's never particularly bouncy himself, he just thinks everyone else has to be.

I turned my head to the side as Tidus' black Porsche pulled along side me. Tidus was, obviously, driving, and Riku sat in the front, whilst Wakka was laying down in the back. I couldn't see him, but I knew he was because he did every morning.

"Sora, why are you walking? It's like a... five minute walk from here!" Riku said.

...God, they're stupid sometimes.

"Riku," I said, trying to remain calm, "Five minutes is a big deal, why?"

Riku thought for a moment, and then looked at the car's clock.

"Because class starts in two minutes."

Two minutes? Well, okay, I knew I was late getting up this morning, for... reasons, that I prefer to keep to myself, but really? Even I must have been hard pressed not to notice that class was starting before I'd even arrive at the school.

Not wanting to be late, I hopped in the car, landing 'gracefully' on top of Wakka. Tidus grinned.

"All right. We're off."

After we arrived at the school, in a lot less time it would've taken me to walk, we had to rush to our first class, which we all had together.

"So, hey," I said, leaning over my desk once we were in class, just before the bell rang, "Why were you guys so late?"

Riku looked at me.

"Why were you so late?"

"Well.." Crap. I didn't want to tell them. "Because I was walking, retard."

"Oh... Right. We were late, because, uh... Well, I'll tell you later..."

Riku's voice trailed off, and Wakka, sitting in front of me, turned and said, "Hey, man what's with the scarf? It's the middle of spring, ya?"

Sheesh. This was one more thing I didn't want to tell them, and yet, that's exactly what they ask me. Thankfully, however, I didn't need to think of an answer, because the teacher walked in the room at that very second and began her lesson.

My victory was short-lived. Five minutes, to be more exact. The teacher was yelling at me, of course, despite the fact that I'd done nothing wrong.

Just about everyone in class giggled, besides Riku, Tidus and Wakka. I guess they all figured I must've been doing something bad. We were sitting in the back, so I guess they all had reason to assume, especially considering I usually was doing something 'bad,' by the teachers' standards.

But not today, I swear. The teacher repeated herself when it became apparent I wasn't listening the first few times. "Why are you wearing that scarf? Scarves weren't part of the dress code the last time I checked."

The teacher (I wasn't sure which one, because she was a substitute, but she apparentlyknew _me) _started narrowing her eyes and just kind of glared at me. Looking around, I saw her name printed in chalk on the board. ... Humphrey? What the...? Well, at least I had a better advantage now.

", I refuse to submit my individuality to the superficiality that these," I plucked at my school blazer, "_uniforms_ hold. Perhaps you-"

Ms._Humpy_ cut in, "The uniforms are in no way superficial. You're being ridiculous."

stopped to take a breath, (apparently she was planning on talking awhile) but was cut off by Tidus.

", I really don't want to waste my learning time on Sora's... antics. Can't he just keep the scarf?"

narrowed her eyes and slowly agreed. The rest of the class was fairly uneventful, although seemed to enjoy sending surprise questions my way at random, which was NOT fun, I can tell you. Half of the time, they weren't even science questions, the class she was supposed to be teaching.

Anyways, after science (yeah, right. More like hell) we had gym, which isn't a bad class, really. Actually, it's not bad at all.

After we'd gotten changed, (well, after everyone else had gotten changed. I didn't) we headed out to the yard. While everyone else did their warmups, I ruffled my hair, made sure to look sick and pathetic, and moved towards our gym teacher, , AKA Jecht, Tidus' dad.

"," I moaned. "I really don't feel well..."

"Huh?" he said. "Well... You do look kinda pale, kid," he continued, grabbing my chin and looking closer. "But...Uh... Sora, what's with the scarf?"

"Oh... Well, see, I'm cold."

"Cold, eh? Well, it might be because of some crazy sickness. Yeah, okay, sit out today. Over there, on the benches."

Slowly, I made my way to the benches, being sure to remain looking sickly until his attention was fixed on the others, who were failing their exercises, mostly. There were a few exceptions, Riku, Wakka, Tidus, and some other guys among them, who were actually able to serve the volleyball over the net.

Unfortunately for me. I'm not sure if he did it on purpose, but somehow, Riku's volleyball managed to come sailing over the net, and further still, hitting me square in the head.

My vision went fuzzy, and the last thing I remember before completely blanking out was, "OH MY GOD! SORA, I'M SO SORRY!"

Riku, you faggot.


	2. Dreams

Chapter 2

_A young boy smiled and grinned as he and his parents got off of Space Mountain, a roller coaster ride at Disney's Magic Kingdom. _

"_Mommy, Daddy, hurry up! I wanna go on that ride!" _

_He pointed to a ride nearby and waited impatiently for his parents. Once the were all there and getting on the ride, his parents told him not to run ahead when they got off this time._

"_It's dangerous, sweetie.."_

"_I know, I know..."_

_The boy smiled as the ride started up, blue eyes alight._

_As the ride's engine roared, images changed, and the roaring ride became a large truck, precariously leaning, the driver attempting to gain control, not wanting anyone to be hurt._

_The boy in front of the truck was in too much shock too move, so the truck veered, crashing to the side, and falling over, the tires no longer touching the ground. The truck spun and slid on the ground, leaving the boy safe, but hitting a girl who'd been walking on the sidewalk, doing nothing wrong, just walking. _

_Sirens flashed and the ambulance workers sadly covered the girl's face with a cloth, indicating the finality of her death, causing her parents to cry out. Meanwhile, the boy in the center of the road stood frozen. At eleven, he had another's blood on his hands because despite his age, he'd been completely drunk, wiped out by a few beers, offered to him by 'friends'..._

_His mother only cried, but his father was too angry for tears._

"_Sora! Have you no sense of- Why would you- What are we going to do with you?" he thundered._

"_I didn't mean to! It was an acci-"_

"_Oh, of course! You accidentally went out and got drunk, and you accidentally killed that girl!"_

"_I didn't mean for anyone to-"_

"_No, obviously not! That's why it happened!"_

"_You just-"_

_The boy stopped in mid sentence, unhappy with his father's unwillingness to listen to him. Why couldn't they stop the yelling and listen- just this once? He hadn't meant for the girl, or anyone else, to be hurt._

_Shaking his head, he turned, about to leave, when a hand caught him at the door. _

"_Sora, you listen to me now!"_

"_No! Leave me alone, let go!"_

_The boy struggled, but upon feeling a yank on his arm, was abruptly forced to look in his father's direction._

_He heard his mother saying something, heard a 'no' and saw his father's hand flying straight to his face._

_The hand was inches away, almost hit-_

_When it turned into a large white ball, and came sailing to his face, knocking him out completely_.


	3. Suspensions

Chapter 3

Riku fidgeted in a chair in the nurse's office, glancing around nervously. Across the room, Tidus and Wakka were talking to the nurse. She seemed to be telling them some good news.

Or at least Riku _hoped _she was.

They'd been in the nurse's office since last period, which was now over. The clock had begun to run into third period about 20 minutes ago.

Riku gazed uncomfortably at Sora, still knocked out, lying on the examining table/bed thing. He hadn't meant to hit Sora. Really, things never went right when it came to Riku and violence... And Sora.

Whenever he wanted to hurt Sora, the kid always managed to get out of it somehow. And when he didn't- Well, obviously, Sora ended up getting seriously hurt. Riku looked down at his feet, imagining what Sora would say when he woke up. Lately it seemed, Sora got upset real easy over tiny things. Riku didn't want to be freaked out on and yelled at in school by anyone but teachers.

Riku's head shot up as a soft moaning came from the bed beside him.

"What the fu...?" Sora slurred. His eyes shot open, adjusting and taking in his surroundings. Sora bolted upright, and let out one, very loud, shout.

"RIKU!"

* * *

Kairi tapped her pencil impatiently on her desk. She glared at the clock, willing it to move; to change. Just get her out of this class!

"Calm down, Kairi," came a laughing whisper from beside her.

Kairi turned her head and immediately saw into two eyes, shining intensely with two separate colours; the green of growing plants and life in summer, and a blue sky.

"I am calm, Yuna... I just... want out of this stupid class!"

"But... I thought you were calm?" asked a confused Selphie, sitting on the other side of Yuna. She poked her head over to look at Kairi.

"Well, I am, bu-"

Kairi was cut off by a ringing bell. She leaped to her feet, hastily snatching up her books, and dropping many in the process.

Selphie giggled.

"You know, if you slowed down, Kairi, you'd get out of class faster!"

Kairi blushed and bent down to pick up her books. As they did almost every class they had with her, Selphie and Yuna lowered themselves to help her. When they'd picked up Kairi's books, they left the classroom, and headed for their lockers.

"Hey, guys!"

Garnet ran up behind them and immediately began talking to Selphie about how she was Zidane's partner for a project in her biology class.

"Zidane?"

Yuna wrinkled up her nose and made a fake gagging noise.

"Shut up, Yuna!" Garnet spat, blushing. "I like him... At least he's better than Tidus."

"Hey, I'll have you know that Tidus is awesome. And at least I actually have a chance of getting him... He obviously likes me. Not like you guys and your crazy 'have crushes on guy's you haven't got a chance with' things... _Kairi_," Yuna exclaimed, opening her locker.

Selphie broke into fits of laughter.

"Yeah, how is that getting the most popular guy in school to go out with you despite the fact that he doesn't know you exist plan going?"

Kairi frowned and puffed out her cheeks. She began to mumble something but was distracted by a raised, angry voice.

"Oh, yeah, and you just happened to accidentally hit me with your volleyball even though you were halfway across th-"

"Sora- God- calm down man! It was an accident, ya?"

"Calm do-"

"Yes. Calm down," Tidus burst out, shaking his head. "It was an accident."

Sora glared at Tidus and stomped down the hall to his locker. Kairi watched him, staring as he opened his locker and a large pile of books tumbled out to his feet.

At the end of the hall, Tidus laughed and Wakka shouted out, "You need to organize things more, ya?" Riku said nothing, but moved to his own locker, opening it to reveal neat stacks and rows of books, not in danger of falling on their owner anytime soon.

Naturally, when a person's books topple from their locker to land at their feet, the person in question would laugh and joke with their friends about it- 'Um.. How did that happen? I'm sure it was more stable last time I looked!'- but looking at Sora, it seemed to Kairi he would sooner cry than do anything else.

Sora bent over, on what appeared to Kairi the verge of tears, and began to pick up his books. Tidus and Wakka must have noticed Sora was more upset than usual, because they rushed to help him.

"Sora..." Kairi heard Tidus saying. "You okay? ..You.."

Kairi strained her ears, barely making out Sora's reply: "Just having a rough day..."

"Kairi!"

Kairi snapped her head to the side to see Yuna laughing at her.

"If you weren't eavesdropping on Sora's conversations, you'd know that we should get going, since our next class is all the way across the school."

"Sorry, Yuna... Selphie and Garnet have gym, right?"

"Yeah, let's go... Music awaits!"

Yuna turned and dashed up the hall. Kairi made a move to follow, but stopped in mid-step, turning quickly to her locker to pull out her books. She turned and rushed up the hall, the sound of the bell echoing in her ears as it went off.

She hurried to her class, but by the time she'd gotten there, there were only two empty seats in the corner. She glared at Yuna and trudged to her seat.

"Well, class, today," , her music teacher, began, "We are going to be..."

Her teacher continued speaking, droning on about their latest project. The teacher's voice ceased it's seemingly endless speech as the classroom door opened.

"Sora... You're late."

"Um... Yeah," Sora replied from the doorway. "I had some... problems with my locker."

"Very well... Take a seat..."

Sora sat down in the only seat left; the one by Kairi. She looked desperately at Yuna, who only gave her a quick smile and a thumbs up.

"And Sora?" the teacher continued addressing Sora. "The scarf– take it off."

Suddenly, Sora quit the act of being meek and upset he was late. He sat up straight in his chair and said, "No! I can't because... See, it's... A thing I'm doing for... ah... the guidance counsellor. Yeah. He wants me to express my individuality... Or something like that, but I-"

"Okay, I get it," sighed. "Keep the scarf on then."

continued her lesson, and Sora sank into his chair, sighing in relief. Kairi watched him for a moment, but soon looked away and attempted to pay attention to class. After the teacher had explained the project, she gave the students time to work on it. Kairi began jotting down ideas on her paper. She looked over to see what Sora was doing.

Sora was also writing, his page already half-filled with notes. He reached up to tug at the scarf around his neck. Apparently it was getting itchy, or hot, or in some way bothersome.

When Sora yanked at the scarf, it slid down on his neck some, revealing the skin underneath. A hideous black, slightly green-yellow bruise stained the skin. As soon as the skin was exposed, Sora jerked the scarf back into place, hiding the irritated skin.

Kairi sat in place, staring at the scarf. She shook her head and went back to work.

'_Not your business,_' she told herself, then and for the rest of the class, and next two periods until the lunch bell rang.

* * *

"Sora, it was an accident!"

Sora looked up from the school paper he was writing on, despite the fact that he was on lunch break.

"I know."

"Then why are you in such a pissy mood?" Tidus asked, sitting down across from him.

"I've just had a shitty day. And I had a shitty night, that's all."

"Whatever..." Tidus rolled his eyes, and reached across the table to grab a fry from Gippal, who was sitting next to Sora.

"Hey!" Gippal shouted and pushed Tidus' hand away, but not before he'd swiped some of Gippal's food.

Sora smiled. _'Such idiots...' _He looked across the table to where Riku was talking to Wakka. He should probably apologize for freaking out on Riku. He really hadn't meant to do it.

_But he still did!_

Sora shook his head. He stood up and told Tidus he was going to get a drink, in case anyone asked. He took a step backwards, and felt a searing pain shoot through his left arm.

His reflexes taking over, Sora swung around and his hand hit a person, who'd bumped into him, squarely on the face in a well-placed smack. Before Sora stood an extremely shocked Baralai, whose face was turning red where Sora had hit him.

Within the next 5 seconds, Sora's face turned several shades of red as blood rushed to his face, and he began to mumble a slurred apology.

"Oh... Baralai... I... My arm- there's a bruise there. Sorry.."

"Jeez, Sora," Rikku said, sitting down at the table by Gippal (and giving him a small kiss on the cheek), "That must be one killer bruise."

"Oh... Um, yeah. I guess... Um... Sorry," he said again to Baralai, and walked to the cafeteria door, pushing through the crowd there and heading to his locker.

At the lunch table, Baralai sat down and his hand flew to his cheek.

"...Ow!"

Many people around him began to laugh, but Riku cut them off, saying, "Someone should go talk to Sora... He's been acting all weird lately..."

After a moment's silence, Lenne, sitting by Shuyin, Tidus' twin, agreed.

"You're right... How about you go talk to him? You're his best friend."

Everyone looked at Riku expectantly.

"Oh, well, uh... He's not... Um... Kind of... He's pretty angry at me right now..."

"Yeah, I would be too if you knocked me out with a volleyball," Cloud, who rarely talked, said calmly. He sighed. "I'll talk to him."

Cloud got up and left the table, the cafeteria, and headed off to find Sora.

He found him at his locker... rearranging his books.

"Woah... What a mess," he breathed. Sora's books were spread all over the ground.

Sora looked up.

"Oh... Yeah. They fell on me today so I'm... cleaning," Sora muttered dispassionately.

"Sora..." Cloud said. "Are you okay? You've been actin' weird late ly..."

"I'm fine... Just... I've been busy... With schoolwork..."

"Schoolwork, huh?" Cloud said without emotion. "So... What have you been smoking?"

Sora grinned and told Cloud, "Nothing too strong... Promise."

A pack of cigarettes fell unceremoniously from the book Sora was lifting up.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed, "Nothing too bad cigarettes can do for you..."

"Yep," Sora said, cheering up, grabbing a cigarette from the pack.

He lit it up, placing it in his mouth.

"Um.. Sora? We're on school grounds, you know... We're in the school. Chances of getting caught are, um... Really high?"

"Yeah," Sora sighed. "Oh, well. Screw the teachers. If they have a problem with it-"

"SORA AND CLOUD!" a loud voice thundered from down the hall.

Cloud looked up to see Auron, another teacher in the school, striding down the hallway towards them.

"Since when has smoking on school grounds been allowed?"

"Um..." Cloud began.

"Come with me!"

Auron turned and walked briskly down the hallway, motioning for them to follow. Cloud groaned and left with Auron. Sora looked frantically at the pile of books on the ground. Cigarette still firmly between his lips, he loaded them all into his arms and shoved them back in his locker. He closed the door with some struggle, and dashed down the hall after Auron and Cloud. When he passed a garbage can in the hallway, he stuck the end of the cigarette between his fingers, putting it out, and threw it in the garbage.

They entered Auron's office, and took a seat when Auron gestured for them to.

"Boys," Auron said, "The punishment for smoking on school property is..." he paused. "3 days suspension. Since it's Wednesday, you don't come back until next week. Get out of my office."

Auron turned around in his swivel chair and ignored the two boys, sitting in their chairs still, completely dumbstruck.

After some short amount of time, the measure of his words sunk in and they left. Upon leaving the school, Cloud exploded at Sora.

"YOU GOT ME SUSPENDED!"

"Well, technically, you know, you could have just said that you hadn't been smoking, and I would've been the only one suspended," Sora replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"You think he would have actually listened to me?" Cloud sneered.

"Sure. I would've backed you up."

"Yeah. Sure you would."

"Of course I would. You weren't smoking. There's absolutely no reason for me _not_ to back you up."

Cloud watched in disbelief as Sora shrugged his shoulders again, and walked off.

"I have to get home _before_ they call my parents. See ya!" he called over his shoulder.

"JACKASS!" Cloud hollered.

"I love you, too!" Sora shouted back. "BYE!"

Sora broke out into a run and headed around the corner, trying to get home before his parents were informed of his suspension.

Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it in time.


	4. Tumble

Chapter 4

Sora hesitantly reached for the doorknob of his house. He racked his mind, trying to think whether or not his father would be home at this time of day. Sora knew his father usually came home late on most days of the week, but this was... Wednesday. Yeah, Wednesday. When did his father get home?

Sora flexed his fingers and tightened them around the knob. He turned it slowly, hoping for something to happen to stop him. Nothing did. Gathering what strength he had, he shoved the door open and stepped inside.

Upon entering, the first thing Sora noticed was that his father _was_ home. Unfortunately for him, of course.

As soon as he entered the room, his father rose angrily from his chair and burst out him, "You little bastard! What the hell were you thinking!"

"I didn't me-"

"Well, _I _don't care! I have clothed you, fed you, taken care of you all of your worthless fucking life, and how do you repay me? Getting yourself kicked out of that Goddamn school that _I_ paid for! What the hell's your problem?"

"I really di-"

Sora was cut off by his father's flailing fist as it hit him full-force in the face. His father raised his fist again to strike him. Sora didn't try to move to defend himself, knowing it was no use. His father continued to beat on him, until Sora felt as if he couldn't crawl away, even if it meant survival or death. He collapsed to the floor, his father's fists still pummelling him.

After what seemed an eternity of pain, Sora felt his vision go blurry, and soon felt nothing, saw nothing, heard nothing.

He found himself in a black void, surrounded by nothing but blood, dripping, running, sloshing at his feet in great crimson puddles. He took a tentative step forward, intrigued by his surroundings. Never before had he seen so much blood in his life; not even in the dreams he often had of his own death, after days when his father's beatings had been particularly bad.

He wandered about aimlessly, not even telling how far he'd gone, how long he'd walked. The unchanging scenery caused him to lose track of time and space, although it seemed like a very long time to him. After what he assumed was a notable amount of walking, for his feet were sore, and his legs felt soaked through with the thick red liquid swirling around them, he came to a place that didn't look the same.

It was a waterfall. Great waves of blood rushed over jagged rocks, crashing into the never-ending pool he was standing in. He raced forward without reason to the bottom of the falls. For some unexplainable reason, they excited him to an extent far unlike any urge he'd felt before. He pushed himself into the waves rippling from the bottom of the falls, splashing himself with the blood. As he stood, crimson waves falling over him, he became achingly aware of the presence of another.

Sora peered closer and saw a family by the pool. Two boys and a girl... and their parents, swimming about in the red mess below.

Sora waited, standing across the falls from them.

The father swam closer... and closer. And when he was near enough that Sora was certain he could do it unnoticed, he reached out and pulled the man under.

_

* * *

_

Sora woke up, not on the floor in the entryway, but on his own bed. He rolled over, wincing in pain as he did. He still had injuries from what had happened earlier.

Earlier... What had happened? He remembered... Blacking out. Falling asleep. So how did he get here, in his bedroom? Sora rolled over once again, pain ripping through his lower stomach and looked groggily at his clock. It was 4:30, which meant all of his friends would just be arriving home; Sora knew they would call him, to ask for details. He had little doubt a sufficient amount of rumours had already been spread through the school. And he knew he couldn't deal with his friends nagging questions right at the moment.

"Sora! You're awake!" shouted a female voice.

The shock of hearing another person's voice made Sora sit up quickly, much to his discomfort. He fell back on the bed with a groan, pain coursing through his body again.

"Oh... Sorry!"

The person who'd spoken rushed over to stand by his bed, as did another.

"Are you okay?" asked his little brother, Kerrak nervously. Beside him stood Lhel, his sister, a year older than Kerrak, a year younger than Sora; she was 15.

"So... Dad must have been pretty angry over your suspension, huh?" Lhel questioned.

"...Yeah. There are a lot of rumours?"

Kerrak and Lhel both broke out into large grins.

"Apparently you and Cloud were expelled because Auron found you engaging in 'sexual activities,'" Kerrak explained.

Sora groaned.

"That's..."

"We know," Lhel giggled. "But, hey, we have to go. Mom's not home yet, and Dad really wants... blood cleaned off the floor."

She and Kerrak rushed from the room and went downstairs to do their father's bidding.

For a moment, Sora couldn't move. He figured his father must have taken him up here so his mother wouldn't find him in that state. That was understandable. He wasn't worried about any of that. It had been what Lhel had said.

In any case, though, he was thirsty. But he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't move at all. He lay on his bed for the next hour or so, trying to regain strength, thinking of an excuse. People would want to know where he'd gotten the bruises.

He sat up when the hour had passed, at 5:45, when he was called down to dinner, and stumbled as best he could down the stairs. He fell only once, but quickly regained composure. His mother would be home by now, and if he didn't come to dinner, he knew she'd be upset with his father, who would in turn be upset with him. He turned his head to the side as he walked through the hall, checking his reflection in a mirror. He didn't look that bad; there was only one bruise on his face. His mother wouldn't be suspicious of one bruise, but if he looked very badly injured she would get angry. Sora couldn't afford that.

Once he was outside the dining room, he took in a shaky breath of air, trying to look in good health. He walked in and sat down quickly, trying to avoid his mother's stares. The family ate in silence, not wanting to speak, for fear of the conversation taking a wrong turn.

After a while, though, his mother spoke.

"So, Sora, your father tells me you've been suspended."

Sora thought as quick as he could for a suitable answer, but none came.

"Yeah."

Kerrak and Lhel exchanged glances, said they had finished eating, and both scurried out of the dining room with their dishes.

"That's all you have to say?"

Sora looked up. He saw something flash in her eyes when she saw the bruise on his eye, but he only saw it briefly.

"Yeah."

Hopefully, his father wouldn't say anything about being rude to his mother. Or get angry again.

"I see... Well, don't your teachers want us to... Sign a note or something, explaining _why_ you were expelled?"

She was trying to get him to fess up. Sora knew that she was perfectly aware of the reason. She just wanted him to say it himself. His father spoke up.

"They want us to go in for a meeting. Say Sora's in a lot of trouble, or something."

His mother's eyes flashed again, with more fear than anger this time.

"I'll go," she said quickly. "When?"

"I don't know," mumbled his father. "... Call and set a time..."

His mother stood up and left to call the school, leaving Sora alone in the dining room with his father. Sora didn't move, in case his father didn't want him to. He sighed in relief when his father rose from the table and left, his dishes still cluttered about.

Sora stood up gingerly, being careful not to hurt himself. He picked up his own dirty dishes, then grabbed his father's and mother's. He hobbled into the kitchen, setting the dishes in the sink.

Placing the bottoms of his palms on the counter for support, he leaned forward, trying to fill his lungs with a sufficient amount of air. Breathing was difficult; there was something wrong with his ribs. He turned around and stumbled up the stairs, back to his bedroom.

Sora collapsed on his bed, his breaths now coming in short heaves. Something was wrong. He couldn't breathe. After a few moments of panicking, Sora caught his breath and drifted off to sleep. The last thing he heard was his parent's shouts...

"You're always too drunk to understand! They're our children! Don't you care what happens to him?"

"I highly doubt _he _cares!..."

* * *

"It's ringing."

"It's been ringing!"

"Yeah. Come on, Sora's not answering."

"Why would he answer his cell when he's probably asleep? It must be in his backpack, which wouldn't be in his room, since he doesn't do homework. Let's try Cloud.."

Riku took the phone away from his ear and pressed the off button. Turning it on again, he spun around to face Tidus and Wakka behind him and dialled Cloud's cell number. After several rings, the phone was answered.

"Hello?"

"Cloud! Hi." Riku grinned when he heard Cloud groaning on the other end.

"Sora was caught smoking and I was standing next to him. That's all."

"Well..." Riku frowned. "How do you even know that's why I was calling? An-"

"Obvious."

"Oh. Well, okay. Are you sure there were no 'sexual activities' involved?"

On his end of the phone line, Tidus and Wakka snickered next to him. Cloud's end was silent for a long time.

"...Is that what people are saying?"

"You bet."

"Ah... Fuck. That's not cool. There were no 'sexual activities,' in any case."

"Well, that's all I needed to know. Bye!"

Riku pulled the phone from his ear and quickly hung it up.

Tidus burst into laughter.

"Are you _sure?_" he mimicked.

Wakka remained quiet while Riku and Tidus continued joking. He picked up the phone.

"What are you doing?" Tidus asked giving him an odd look.

"If Sora won't answer his cell, it doesn't mean someone won't answer his home number, ya?"

"Er." Wakka and Tidus regarded Riku as he spoke. "I don't... I don't think you should call his home number."

They gave him incredulous looks. "Why on earth not?" Tidus asked. "It's no biggy, right?"

Wakka nodded at Tidus and waited for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hm... Uh, Lhel?"

"Yeah, this is she."

"Oh. It's Wakka. Is Sora there?"

"Sora?" Wakka thought he heard an odd tone in Lhel's voice. "Oh... He's, uh, sleeping. Totally knocked out."

"Uh-huh. Wake him up for me, then?"

"Oh... Um, fine. Hold on awhile." There was lots of commotion on the other line, what sounded like one phone being picked up, another hung up, and in the background, a lot of yelling. Finally, an answer.

"Yeah?" Sora sounded... Awful. He must have been tired.

"Sora? It's Wakka..."

"Oh... Hi."

"Hey, Sora– " Wakka sat down. "–Are you okay? You sound-" Wakka paused as the sound of coughing came over the other line. "– Really... Not good, ya?"

"Yeah... I think, I dunno. I'm just... There's..." Wakka knew Sora was trying to make something up, but Sora wasn't too fond of taking time to make up stories. "Something wrong with my chest, I guess."

"That makes sense... What with the coughing and all, man."

"Yeah..."

"Well, so, you and Cloud are coming back to school in how many days?"

"We'll be back on Monday..."

"Oh... See you then, ya?"

"Yeah."

"...Bye."

"Hm."

Wakka hung up the phone and looked at the two people standing next to him.

"He sounded... Really down, ya?"

"Oh, really?" Tidus asked. "Well, I wouldn't feel down if I were him. I wish _I_ could miss so much class time... Can you believe that Auron gave that surprise test on... What the hell was it on?"

"Um... It was. Uh... Oh, that thing, you know, where people were dying and stuff, and there was poor people..." Riku said.

Wakka groaned.

"History?"

"Yeah!..." Riku narrowed his eyes. "Hey! It wasn't _that _general! It was about... Argh. I so failed that test!"

"Yeah... I knew more what it was about when I had the paper right in front of me, you know?" Tidus said. Riku agreed, and soon, the three boys decided they were bored and went out for food.

"It was the Depression, anyways..." Wakka mumbled as they walked out the door.

* * *

Sora didn't move from his bed the entire day, except for at dinner, and the few trips he made to the bathroom. Lhel brought the portable phone to him when Wakka called, so he didn't move then.

"Sora! Get your ass down here, now!"

"Don't yell at him like that, you drunk bastard!"

Sora groaned as his parents fought downstairs. It was Friday. The beginning of the weekend. Not that it actually meant anything for him. Naturally, he would be out partying, but he didn't have it in him at the time.

He rolled over, spluttering and coughing as soon as he put pressure on his rib cages. He had decided the day before that there was something unavoidably wrong with his ribs and chest. He could hardly move without coughing.

With much difficulty, Sora managed to get himself out of bed and downstairs.

"Took ya long enough!" his father screeched when he entered.

Sora opened his mouth to reply. He could hardly walk. What did his father expect?

"YOU JACKASS!" his mother shouted.

His father screamed back at her, and they were both fighting amongst each other again rather than concentrating on Sora.

"Idiot!"

Sora's mother glared at his father and stomped into the kitchen, leaving Sora alone in the room with his dad. He turned on Sora, narrowing his eyes.

"This is your fault." Sora began to back up, his father advanced. "If it weren't for you, your mother and I wouldn't be having these problems."

Sora shook his head. He backed away further, stumbling when his foot hit something. He landed on the stairs, hastily climbing back to his feet. He moved up, always facing his father. His hands hit the stairs as he scrambled up them, protesting;

"I didn't do anything to your relationship..."

Sora watched his father's eyes flash with anger, hate, and one clear desire; destruction. He backed away more, trying to stay focussed on his dad. He reached the top of the stairs and moved to turn, but bumped into something.

"God, Sora!"

"Watch where you're going!"

Lhel and Kerrak. Sora spun on his heels and pushed them backwards.

"What the-" Lhel began to shout, pushing past him with Kerrak.

They both stopped, coming face to face with their father, his eyes still bloodshot from his late night stupor. Sora heard a scream downstairs; his mother. He tried to watch what was happening before him, but his eyes were blurred by tears. In the next moment, Sora didn't need to see. He felt it.

His father grabbed him and yanked him forward. Sora collided with his siblings and the three of them tumbled down the nineteen stairs before them, knocking over their mother as well, on the fourteenth step.

Together, they all crashed down the stairs, rolling on top of one another. Pain echoed throughout his body as his head smacked into the wood panelling.

The last thing Sora remembered before he blacked out was his father, smirking from the top of the stairs, and a sharp pain in his chest, accompanied by an odd _snap!_


	5. Pain

Chapter 5

Awaking the next morning Sora felt as if his skin was being torn at by hundreds of daggers. He made no attempt to move or roll over, as he was already aware it would just hurt more. After some time, his mother limped into the room.

"Sora... Sweetie," she said, "There's..." She eyed his stomach. He looked down, and saw that his shirt was drenched with blood. "We can't give you any food while your stomach is... Like that."

Food? That's what she wanted to say? I'm not hungry... But I am possibly bleeding to death. Why is she worrying about feeding me; she should be worrying about hospital bills!

Sora groaned, unable to actually form understandable words at the moment. His mother only smiled thinly and continued speaking.

"You probably won't have to go to school on Monday, or Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday if your stomach's healed..."

She took a breath and opened her mouth to continue speaking, but was cut off by crying from the next room. She rushed next door, to attend to Tobin, Sora's little brother. Tobin was, at two years of age, the youngest in the family... And the only child who didn't fall victim to their father's abuse.

Sora listened to Tobin's crying for awhile, but soon felt himself fading away . He closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep, his mind filling with another dream; a sparkling crimson lake, and giant falls...

* * *

Fresh bandages, and his discarded shirt, on the floor, were the first things Sora noticed upon waking up the next day, Sunday. Someone had cared to his wound, but hadn't really helped. It still hurt like hell.

He didn't move once again, for fear of tearing open the wound, which was slightly healed. He lay on his bed in silence, until the sound of Tobin's wails filled his ears once again. He flopped his head onto the side, staring out the door. He watched, not his mother, but Lhel rush into Tobin's room to comfort him.

"Shh! It's okay, Tobin... Be quiet. Please!"

Tobin's cries grew louder, and Sora heard him saying "mommy" which was one of the only words he knew.

"Um... Mommy's out right now, Tobin... She's out with Daddy. Not home, okay?"

Out... With Daddy?

For some reason, Sora thought Lhel was perhaps bending the truth there. When Tobin had quieted down and gone to sleep, Sora tried to speak; ask Lhel to go to him, but his throat wouldn't work. Instead, he ended up coughing and spluttering. He mistakenly rolled over, and ended up coughing blood everywhere. He fell onto his back once again, a searing pain shooting through his chest.

Lhel came, though, in any case.

"Oh! Sora! You're not supposed to move! Now I have to fix these again!..."

Sora figured she meant the bandages, but never found out, because he was shifting, once again, into unconsciousness.

He awoke only a few hours later to find that he'd been right; Lhel had fixed his bandages, and was actually still in his room. She rushed to stand next to the bed.

"Are you okay?"

Sora nodded, moaning. He tried to speak again, and this time, he was successful.

"...Mom...?"

"Oh..." Lhel tried to smile. "She's just out with Dad... Nothing bad... Just driving him to some Alcoholics Anonymous group I think..."

"For..." Sora was finding it extremely difficult to talk. "For more than an hour?"

"Well... Okay." Lhel looked around, as if checking for spies, then leaned in close. "They went out for dinner and stuff... Mom says she 'wants their marriage to work.'"

Sora could only wrinkle up his nose in reply.

"I know!" Lhel agreed bitterly. "If I were her, I'd be trying to get out of the marriage! Well, I have to go... It's late, and I actually have to go to school tomorrow..."

Lhel turned to leave, but Sora quickly said- although it hurt him to- "What about Kerrak? He's..."

"He's fine... You were the only person really injured. Don't worry."

Lhel flashed Sora a grin and left.

Soon he fell asleep, not waking until Tuesday, when he was finally allowed to eat, although not very much.

His wound began to heal, and he was allowed to eat small portions of food daily. He didn't go to school on Wednesday, nor did he go on Thursday. By Friday, he was able to walk (a little) and was eating regularly. He'd received a little over twenty calls asking why he hadn't returned to school. He told everyone- including the school's principal- that he was sick.. Over the weekend, his large injury slowly knit itself back together, allowing him to move more, but he still didn't return to school.

On Monday, one week after he was supposed to return to school, Sora finally got up, and on shaky legs, headed out the door. His mother wrote him a note excusing him from all physical activities, and- of course- she didn't make him walk all that way, for fear of doing more damage.

He was basically fine, really. Sora had dealt with this sort of stuff before and he'd do it again. All in all, top notch health, he told himself. Except for the tiny fact that he often found himself coughing up large amounts of blood.


	6. Class

Chapter 6

I hate Mr. Gordons. He's an asshole. Naturally, I'm not the sort of person who pins my problems on teachers. Usually, all my anger is directed at my jerk of a father. Or other students here, or... Okay. I'm angry at everyone. But ESPECIALLY him. Really, if a student came into your class late, (supposing you had a class) and was limping and obviously injured, would you yell at them? No! Of course not!

Seriously, imagine this: a student limps into the class, a pool of blood situated in his mouth. You would SUPPOSE that something major happened. But noooo! is the kind of bitch that is so retarded that he just can't see when a student is hurt. Obviously if they're bleeding from the mouth they should be excused! So here I am, staggering into my math classroom, and who should blurt out questions about why I'm late? .

"So, I suppose you were too... Busy? To come to class, Mr. Cortez?"

I hate when teachers call me by my last name.

"Well, you see-" I tried to reply but he's such a bitch that...

"All I see is a teenager running around with a bloody shirt, THAT IS NO EXCUSE TO MISS A CLASS!"

"Nyah nyah nyah nyah, Ohhhh I'm and I'm too bitchy not to be a bitchy teacher, nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah," I mumbled, in what I thought was an under-my-breath tone.

Apparently, it wasn't.

"Oh, WHAT was that, Mr. Cortez?"

I wanted to get back at . Really, this genius comeback just popped into my head. But, if I'm anything, it's not stupid. If I said something rude, would flip on me and see to it that my parents were informed. That could not happen. So, I kept quiet and swallowed. Did you know you can swallow a pint of blood before you get sick? You can, and that's what I was thinking about as I sat in my seat. One pint will make me sick. How many classes would it take me to swallow that much? began to lecture the class on some triangle division or something of that general theme. Someone started to cough in the front. Everyone sniggered. Except me. I had blood in my mouth. glared at the student and the lecture continued. It happened several more times.

See, in our school, we have this thing. Students cough during boring lectures. The teachers know we do it on purpose. It's really fun. Actually, Riku and I were the ones who started it. My eyes shifted to the front of the class where Riku and Tidus sat. Another person began to cough beside me. began to shout and scream. It was really funny. His eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of his head. So of course, I began to laugh, causing myself to choke on the blood in my mouth.

And cough. Alot.

freaked.

"First, you arrive late to class and now you are disrupting my class!" The rest of the class broke into a fit of giggles. "Oh, you think this is funny, do you? WELL, IT'S NOT!" Mr. Gordons screamed louder. I coughed harder.

"THAT IS NOT AMUSING!"

He screamed louder yet. I coughed even harder. Not because I'm a misbehaved brat, or anything. I was choking on my own blood. And he was yelling at me for it! Sor-ry!

Things began to go hazy. The sounds around me blurred into one loud buzz. I coughed more. My vision began to clear a bit. I could make out voice now. Screaming, of course. The people in the class were hysterical now. I felt like screaming at them. It wasn't funny! I was going to die! I looked up into the angry face of Mr. Gordons, still screaming. I looked across the room and my eyes met with Riku. He wasn't laughing. I couldn't hear him, but when his lips moved I could tell what he was saying.

"Are you okay?"

I shook my head violently 'no.' No it was NOT funny, and NO I was NOT okay. riku turned to Tidus and said somehting quickly. If there's one thing a perosn should know about Tidus, he is very loud. Suddenly Tidus' voice was rising above everyone else's.

"QUIET!"

The room was silent, aside from my coughing and Riku's voice.

"Sora... Are you okay?"

I couldn't shake my head. I couldn't even breathe. I felt like I was going to throw up. I didn't slapped my back. I spit blood into my hands. I don't think anyone noticed because I was hunched over. I could breathe now. I'd stopped coughing. My breath was short, though. I stood up, hands still covering my mouth and stumbled from the room. Riku got up and followed me. I stumbled into the bathroom rather shaken up and leaned over one of the sinks.

"Sora?"

I looked over at Riku. "I'm fine." My raspy voice surprised even me. "Really. Go back to class. Tell Mr. Jackass I'm sick and can't come back. I'm going to the nurse's office."

"You sure?"

I really regretted yelling at Riku the other day a few weeks ago. Really, really did.

"Yeah."

Riku smiled at me and headed out the door. I began to cross the floor on shaky legs but another coughing fit came over me. I collapsed to the ground and continued to wheeze. It took me awhile to realize that I was definitely, definitely going to die. There was no one in here to hit me on the back this time. I was so screwed. My arms gave out beneath me and I crashed to the cement tiles. That seems to do as good a job as being hit on the back. The coughing stopped at least. I spit blood up everywhere, though. The janitors might think someone was really badly injured in here. But then... Coughing up blood, internal bleeding... That is being pretty badly injured, isn't it?

Right. I stayed on the ground for a few minutes. I started to feel better, though. I got up and opened the door. After cleaning myself up, that is. Then I headed down the hallway for the outdoors. Fresh air, you know. I pushed the doors opened and head for the back feld. Just as I was rounding the corner, though, I ran into a not-so-pleasant face.


	7. CoverUp

Chapter 7

The not-so-pleasant face I was talking about in fact belongs to a not-so-pleasant person. Who just happens to go by the name of Sephiroth. Who just so happens to hate my guts and live for this sort of opportunity- you know, the sort of opportunity where he runs into me, alone, outside of school and could easily kick my ass because I'm injured. Well, today was his lucky day, in any case.

"Hello, Sora," Sephiroth said, smiling elaborately.

A tiny squeak of "Hi" was all I could handle for a reply.

Now, I'm not some sort of wimp or anything, you have to understand. I just happen to know when I'm beaten. And this was one of those situations where I have lost before anything even happens. The next thing I knew, Sephiroth was reaching forward and grabbing my shirt, and the last thing I remeber was the hard pavement flying up to meet me.

* * *

I woke up exactly where I had 'fallen asleep.' Just around the corner, rather out of sight, and on the ground. I got up slowly, shaking my head to make sure things were working properly in my neck. I leaned against the wall and looked down at my clothes. Surprisingly, I did not look in much worse condition than I had this morning, though when I reached up to touch my cheek I could tell I must have been bruised there something awful. I breathed in and out, trying to get my lungs back on track, because at the current time, it hurt to take in air. He must've kicked me in the ribs after I passed out.

My breathing was back to normal (almost), though I still had tiny stabs of pain with intake of breath. Steadying myself with my hand against the wall, I began to walk. I had missed at least two classes today. They would probably call my parents.

Fuck them.

I entered the school once again and was relieved to find that the halls were empty. So 2nd period was still going. I stumbled in the bathroom, intending to check my bruised-to-hell cheek, and was surprised to find that someone was actually in there. Some dumbass kid who I recognized as the brainy nerd of every subject in existence was sitting on the sink. Smoking a joint. I considered telling him to get out of the bathroom, but I didn't want to get in an argument with some guy who's hyped up on drugs. Rasing one eyebrow in what I think was supposed to be an ironic way (I couldn't tell- my breathing was messsed up still and I wasn't exactly getting so much oxygen, so I'm not sure what I was doing) and sort of tripped/fell over to the sink.

Honestly, I couldn't believe how bad I looked upon seeing my reflection in the mirror.

My cheek was completely black with green and purple spots, and one large white area, that looked as if a bone was being shoved at the skin. But I had seen extensive bruising before and knew it was just skin discolouration. My face was caked in blood and I began to wipe it off with paper towels, muttering curses under my breath at the painful contact when I touched the skin.

"What happened to you?"

I turned to look at the joint-smoking nerd and smirked, asking, in response, what had happened to _him._ I had meant it to be sort of a nasty dig but it came out as an actual quiestion, much to my unhappiness, making it sound like I really cared.

"What do you mean?"

I shrugged. "I just never knew you to be the sort of person who hung around in the bathroom smoking joints."

"And I never knew you to be the sort of person who got their face bashed in like that!"

"You don't know me very well."

The smoking nerd wrinkled up his nose in confusion, and though he was merely curious when he asked me what I meant by that a few seconds later, I replied by snapping at him to 'shut the fuck up' in a dismissive manner. He only shrugged and resumed smoking his joint.

Having decided that I had sufficiently wiped the blood from my face, I pulled out my cell phone and began to text message a friend of mine. She's not very popular and no one but the two of us were aware of our friendship- but it was there, and very real. She's always willing to help me out of a jam and would willingly use her 'make-up' skills to cover any tell-tale signs of abuse without asking how I got that God-awful bruise on my cheek or what in the hell happened to my arm.

I felt slightly bad for having to ask her to help when she was in class, because she might get caught. Unfortunately, I couldn't walk around school looking like this, so I didn't really have much choice. Not that it mattered. Looking at nerd-joint-kid's watch, I could tell it wasn't even halfway through second period. And second period meant she was in Math. And I know she doesn't like Math... Who does? If she had been in English or Music I might have let it slide and waited it out. Not that she really liked those classes, even though I'm pretty sure they're her favourites. It's just that, they _are_ my faves, and I know I would be pissed if someone disturbed me during them.

I confess my love of said subjects may or may not have something to do with the incredibly attractive girl who is also in those classes. (Protip: it does)

Selphie is such a good friend. Though it was three minutes later when I received her reply, it said, "No problem, where are you?"

'Um... the boy's bathroom.'

Selphie didn't reply. I'm not sure if it was because that's all that needed to be said or if she wasn't sure how to respond, but in any case, the smoking nerd decided it was time for him to take his leave of me.

"Well, have fun being beaten to shit. I'm going to... Go to classes. Or maybe outside... Where no cars will hit me.."

I blinked and watched him stumble out the door. Where no cars would hit him, eh? I din't mention that he was probably better off indoors. I wanted him gone, anyways.

A few mintes later, the door opened and Selphie walked in, closing her eyes as if grossed out by my unseemly condition.

"Shut up," I said and she just laughed.

"Alright, sit on the sink."

I did as I was told and she set to work, being careful not to cause anymore irritation to my skin. I noticed that she looked more troubled than usual.

"So," I said. Selphie chuckled a little. We had discovered a long time ago that small talk while helping a friend to cover up the marks of domestic violence is a little awkward. But it was even worth without. "Hmmm... How's Kairi?"

Selphie scoffed. "If you like her... ask her out. Better yet, have a _conversation_ with her."

"Awh, Selphie... Don't be like that. You know I'm quite happy just checking her out in the hallways."

Selphie shook her head, a tiny smile playing at her lips. Truth was, if I was happy just checking her out I wouldn't ask after her and we both knew it. We also both knew that I didn't need to be dragging anyone else into my shit, so relationships were sort of out of the question for me. Usually, though, even Selphie was a little more upbeat about my bad jokes and annoying crush on her friend.

"What's wrong, doc?" I asked. "Can you not cover it up? Oh, God, don't say I'm going to have to go ugly for a day!"

Selphie did laugh, finally, a bit more freely than her constrained giggle from before. "No, no.. I'll get it covered." She looked at me and frowned at what must have been inquisitive persistence in my eyes. "Well, it's just that..."

She sighed.

"Well, okay. I'm going to take a guess and say that if this had hapened to you...Uh... Earlier. Like, yesterday, or, uh... This morning, or something... Uh... Before school..."

Selphie began to fumble with her words.

She knows what goes on in my home. I've never told her but she knows. And she's never told me she knows but it's obvious that she does. And we both know it. But still she has never mentioned it before. Not that I really mind. I don't care because I'm pretty sure that Selphie is the sort of person that would never talk about these things to spite me or make me feel bad about myself or sorry for myself.

"Um...Like... At..." Her voice quieted. "Home..." Barely above a whisper now.

"Yeah?" I prompted.

She looked into my eyes, trying to determine whether or not I was upset with her.

"...You would have asked me to help earlier," she finally continued, confident that I understood she wasn't prying. "Why didn't you? How... How did this happen? It must've been during school hours!"

Now you could assume she was prying. But I was rather surprised to realize that she wasn't by the tone in her voice. It was just concern. Which was a bit of a shock, because, while I've always considered her my friend, I've never before realized that she considered me hers as well. I always figured she just felt bad for me and that she was a kind person. Which isn't hard to believe, looking back on how we first met...


	8. Introductions

Chapter 8

_It was sunny, I remember, the day we met. Not just sunny, though. I wouldn't remember if that were the case. I mean it was _sunny. _Meaning, when I stumbled out our back door after a rather brutal bashing from my father, which I was shocked to find didn't knock me out, the bright sun was blinding, swelteringly hot and hanging directly above me._

_As of then, it had been the worst beating I had ever received from him. That would change quickly, though. _

_I actually had to grope my way to the back of the yard, toward the woods behind our house, until my vision adjusted. Once I got into the darkened forest, I found it much easier to see, and basically ended up wandering about, crashing into things, because there was blood trickling down into my eyes, and I couldn't actually see all that well, despite the better light. Er... dark. I guess. Well, anyway, the woods behind my house basically leads to the park if you keep walking for a little while. So eventually I came crashing through the bushes and landed flat on my face in a little clearing along the park trails._

_I didn't notice the shocked person sitting on the benches, writing in a tiny journal... Well. Of course I didn't. I was face-down in the dirt, kind of trying to roll over but in way too much pain to actually do so. I imagine I must've looked really pathetic. Eventually, when I felt a tentative touch on my shoulder, and a quiet "Are you okay?" I finally managed enough strength to roll over. I think it was actually the fright that really did it, though._

_The person, who I couldn't see, because now, there wasn't only blood in my eyes, but also dirt, let out a tiny gasp before helping me to sit up. I reached up to wipe the dirt-blood mixture from my eyes, but really just ended up hurting myself more by rubbing it in. After a few moments of hesitant rubbing in my eyes, I could recognize her as someone who went to my school, though I didn't actually know her name._

_"Are you alright?" she repeated._

_Though I was tempted to say, "What does it look like?" I could only regard her with a suspicious gaze and kept my mouth shut. Back then, at the very beginning of grade nine, I was mostly suspicious of everyone. At my old school, grades 6-8, I'm pretty sure that all of the teachers had known about what went on in my house, just because they could see the bruises and whatnot. I was determined that no one of authority or any other position, whether peer or janitor at my new school would find out. I kept my mouth shut._

_She seemed uncomfortable, but eventually she said, "Do you want any help?"_

_I didn't answer. It was my way of saying no._

_She clearly realized that because in the end she just said, "Look. I don't care whether or not you _do _want help. Get up."_

_Pulling me to my feet (though I resisted. I could've beaten her otherwise... I was just... uh... weakened. Yeah.) she pulled me over to the bench and helped me to sit down. Next thing I knew, she was wiping the blood off my face with a handkerchief or something like that._

_"Hey wha-?" I protested and tried to push her hands away, but once again, the girl proved stronger than me._

_After several moments of grumpy silence she finally said, "I'm Selphie... Sora, right?"_

_I nodded my reluctant confirmation._

_"...So. You'll probably be the center of attention at school tomorrow, eh?"_

_"Huh? Why?" I said, confused, because quite frankly, I'd never been badly bruised on my face before, and I could usually get off saying I'd hit my head or something. Of course, I'd just assumed that would work this time, too._

_"Well, come on!" Selphie continued. "With bruises like this on your face? People will be all about, 'oohhhh, who'd you get in a fight with?' You'll be like a celebrity!"_

_My jaw went limp as I realized what she was saying, and a tiny little red flag went up in my head._

_"I don't want that."_

_"...No? Uh... Just use cover up then."_

_I pouted. "Sorry, not a girl. I don't know how."_

_She was quiet for a moment and now it was her turn to give me a suspicious look. _

_"Well... I could help you I guess."_

_"It'd be smudged by morning."_

_"No, I'll help you tomorrow."_

_"Oh... um..." I had to think on that. Did I really want to trust this girl? What if she told everyone? I didn't even know her. I don't know what made me say it, but me answer ended up being a simple, "kay."_

I ended coughing blood into Selphie's face. Well, not really. Not in her face, I guess. But kind of a little bit got on her. She just wiped it off and frowned at me.

"You know Sora, I think you should go to the hospital."

"No."

"No, really, I think you should, coughing up blood is a very, _very_ bad sign."

"No."

"Yes."

I breathed deeply- damn, that hurt...

Perhaps it was time to be a little more forthcoming with Selphie. After all, I think I owed it to her after three years.

"Do you want me murdered?"

"What?"

"You can't imagine my parents will be happy that I've brought this to the attention of someone at a hospital."

"I- I..."

"Selphie... I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse, I assure you." Okay, a lie. "Am I done?"

Selphie nodded, putting her compact make up kit away

"Thanks, darling. Now run along to class, and I will see you tomorrow, and I will be the picture of health."

She scoffed and paused as she was opening the door to leave. "Sora? You know I just want... for you to be okay, right?"?

"I know that, Selphie. Thank you."


	9. Punk

Chapter 9

In my school, the people who are bullied the most are the 'punk/poser/goth' kids. I'm not sure why that is, but it's probably for the same reason that mainly fat kids are bullied in another school. I guess teenagers in our area just don't like punk kids...

But like I was saying, punk kids. Bullied. A lot. Not by me! Me and my friends _are _the biggest bullies in the school, I suppose, and the 'posers' are bullied more than anyone else, but _I _have never bullied them. I can't really and not feel extremely guilty. I don't even see the point in it. It's like, "they wear black those assholes!" Um... who cares?

Honestly, though, I just can't because Kerrak is sort of a punk kid himself. I've never noticed him ever wearing any eyeliner or cutting himself so he could never be called 'emo' but the people who _do_...uh... _indulge_ in those activities are his friends, and he hangs out with them and he listens to 'punk-emo-gothic' music so I guess he's one of them.

I just don't know.

But what I'm really getting at is this: Kerrak is my brother and he is bullied at home by our jackass father and he shouldn't come to school and have to be bullied here, too. So woe to any assholes who criticise him. _I_ can fight even if I do have some problem with my lungs or whatever the hell else Selphie's worried about.

But in any case, two classes after my meeting with Selphie in the bathroom, two extremely boring classes even though I had English which is my favourite subject, I left the classroom to see Kerrak getting shoved into a locker. Which happens rarely. Generally people leave him, at least, alone because they know I'll kick their ass if they don't. So, this guy, who I immediately recognized as Sephiroth's close friend Seifer leaned in, whispered a threat or something to Kerrak and then walked away, acting like he was the king of the world.

And at what happened next I have to give at least a little bit of credit for, because even if my brother has bad taste, at least he's got panache. Kerrak watched Seifer's back disappear with one raised eyebrow and then stuck up his middle finger. Like I said, mostly people dislike Kerrak and his group of friends, but even though Seifer didn't see, most of the people in the hallway did and I swear I saw quite a few of them struggled to surpress smiles. I didn't even bother. I just think that's funny. Kerrak let out a breath of air, pushed off the locker and walked down the hall to his best friend Kaz's locker, where to two of them actually just started laughing.

Now, I, unlike Kerrak, am not good at pretending everything is fine when it's not. Well. I suppose I am, but not spur of the moment. I was having a bad day and I know people could tell because they were all giving me bizarre looks. I had changed into my gym t-shirt and thrown my school blazer on over it, so there wasn't quite as much blood showing.

So, I was walking down the hall, _trying_ (in vain) to be casual, but I'm sure everyone could notice the way my breaths wern't coming quite as naturally as they should be and that when I returned a smile to someone walking past, it was forced and wavered because I didn't really want it to be there. I figure I probably looked even more upset walking past Kerrak because I could just catch a tiny bit of what he was saying to Kaz.

"I dunno, I think he said he'd 'fuckin' kill me' or something, I couldn't really hear, he was whispering... I could've sworn he mentioned something about molesting me, too... "

If I'd been drinking a Coke like Kaz, I would've spit it out, too.

As I continued down the hall, now wrinkling up my brow trying to sort out what Seifer might have said, I received even more odd looks. Then I realzed that I had a large red handprint on the front of my pants. Must've put it there trying to stand up. Ooops. I really wasn't too concerned about that, though. I was more up to getting to the bottom of Seifer's threat. Entering the cafeteria, I saw him and Sephiroth sitting at a table with their heads together, whispering and giving furtive glances to the people near them. I made a point of walking just close enough to hear them without their noticing. I had to go way off to one side but hey, it worked.

"That's gross," Sephiroth was saying.

"To you, maybe" was Seifer's reply.

"Yeah it is. One: he's a guy. Two: He's a punk kid. Three: He's like, um... 14?"

Seifer shrugged. "It would bother Sora."

"Oh, good point."

I waked on and sat down at the table I usually did, where I got a few more strange glances because I probably seemed a bit out of it, and I wasn't talking. To busy thinking...

"Welcome back," someone finally said after awhile. It was Tidus. I nodded.

"Mhm."

"...Yeah, sure Sora, that's great."

Everyone went back to their conversations. I swiped a fry from Tidus when he wasn't looking but he turned around and saw it in my mouth, then proceeded to freak out. I just pulled one of those, "but look! I'm cute and innocent!" things. I'm pretty good at that. All it takes is wide eyes and a pout, but the pout can sometimes be replaced with a kiddish smile. The only real important part is the wide eyes.

Tidus went back to his game of rock-paper-scissors with Wakka and I to my thoughts. Eventually I spoke up and _everyone_ at the table stopped talking when they heard what I said.

"Do you guys think Seifer's gay?"

"Uh..." Cloud said.

Gippal just kind of laughed at me.

Both Rikku and Riku replied with something like, "fuck yes." Everyone else was just quiet.

"Why you askin'?" Wakka eventually said.

Because I think he's planning to molest my little brohter.

Oh, smooth.

"Um..."


	10. Black

Chapter 10

I looked away and shrugged. "He just seems..."

"Ew. Did he like, hit on you or something?"

"No."

"Oh, okay."

I blinked and tried to ignore the inquisitive looks everyone was giving me. Resting my chin in my hands, I glanced to the cafeteria doors, then to where the 'punk' kids were sitting. Kerrak and Kaz still weren't there. I turned my head a bit. Seifer was sitting with Sephiroth. The cafeteria doors caught my eye again. I must've sat staring at them for at least 5 minutes before Kerrak finally arrived. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I sucked it back in (wincing slightly ata sharp pain in my lungs) when I noticed that Seifer was watching too. In a... in a... predatory way. I couldn't really tell what the look meant but I had a pretty good idea.

He whispered something to Sephiroth and stood up. I sat up straight and watched where he was going. He left. Letting out another relieved sigh, I put my face in my hands again. I had to pull in another full breath because my lungs were a bit on the fritz. I must've sounded like I was just continuously sighing. I leaned over a bit. I wasn't getting any air. My vision began to blur.

"Hey, Sora are you okay?" someone asked. I couldn't tell who.

"Sora?"

I coughed.

Someone's hand was on my back, trying to help steady me.

More coughing. At this point, breathing was not an option. Something was stuck in my throat and I figured it was probably a build-up of blood. I began to cough harder, and eventually, I learned I was right when blood began to drip from my lips.

"Oh... Oh my God." I couldn't recognize the voice speaking but it now seemed to be the only one in the cafeteria. Everyone else had fallen quiet when the people at my table began leaping up in alarm and exclaiming loudly. Someone dragged me up to my feet. I get the impression it was Cloud because I saw gloves on their hands. He never took off his gloves.

Doubling over, I coughed up a rather good amount of blood. Finally I was able to suck in some air but not quite enough.

My vision wavered slightly for a moment and began to clear up, then it started blackening around the edges. I couldn't make out any distinct sounds but I'm pretty sure I heard the word "hospital" before the world faded to black.


	11. Gifts

Chapter 11

I died on a Monday.

It was 9:52 PM.

There was no rain beating dramatically against windows and no thunderous crashes from the clouds; no jagged forks of lightning illuminated a sad and quiet room. The sky did not cry for me. Nor did my family. My father had come to the hospital earlier to pick up my siblings. He's told them that there was no sense in waiting. Their presence would not prevent Death from claiming me. He had not bothered to inform my mother where I was all day.

One nurse briefly wiped her eyes, feeling sorry for me. But it turned out she had an eyelash stuck there, anyways.

Riku, Tidus, and Wakka in the waiting room had not gone home when their parents called and asked them to. Tidus' father had always taught him crying was weak. So instead of shedding tears he sat in an angry and brooding silence, glaring at a floor tile. Wakka tossed a rubber bouncy ball into the air, caught it, squeezed it hard. Tried to coax Tidus into saying something.

The third of my friends– he hasn't cried a single tear since he was 4 years old and fell down a flight of stairs. That night, he sobbed.

Riku cried for me. No one else did.

I died on a Monday.

It was 9:52 PM.

Seven minutes later, with doctors and nurses shouting and running about, with surgeons wiping their brows from intensive surgery, and the beeping of a heart monitor, I was alive again.

I didn't want to be. I didn't much deserve it either.

A nurse told the three teens in the waiting room that they were far from short of miracles, but that I was still in critical condition. Wakka prayed to God, thanked Him. Tidus, never quite the religious type, he just rolled his eyes when he saw Wakka praying, but secretly he told God that if He even existed, He was a good being. Then he thanked the doctors. Riku kept crying.

Just a moment or two after the nurse left the room, it occurred to him how much he hated my dad.

When I wake up, stabilized and in a different ward of the hospital on Wednesday, my parents are both at work. My siblings and friends are at school. Flowers and get well cards on the bed stand beside me are actually the only signs that people care. There's a young nurse setting up another bouquet, trying to find room on the tiny table (one of three or four that's covered). I can see Selphie's name on the card stuffed between the flowers.

I snickered when I saw that Selphie had signed it as being from "Selphie and Kairi." She was trying to make me feel better, perhaps. But when I peered closer I saw that the handwriting on Kairi's signature was different. Maybe she _had_ signed it herself. I grinned like a fool and then cast my glance back to the table, my eye caught.

What really concerned me was the slip of paper wedged between two gifts. It was signed by the coroner and some other doctor; it stated that two days earlier at 9:52 PM, I was dead.

"I died?"

The nurse looks up in shock, follows my line of sight. Blushes.

"Oh. I was supposed to... get rid of that. But.. You did, for about seven minutes."

"Can I keep it?" I ask, still looking at it.

"Oh. Well. I guess. We were just going to toss it anyways." Now this was cool. How many people– how many _living_ people, could say that they had a CERTIFICATE OF DEATH, or whatever they're called. "But you're awake!" she continues, forcing a smile. "How do you feel?"

Yeah, ha, "Like I just went through reconstructive lung surgery." I think it's a pretty good answer.

That must have been exactly what happened (like I thought) because she just blinks in surprise as if she'd been expecting a 'normal' answer.

I may have been mostly dead, stuck in a hospital, and very much alone, but that was no reason to stop being my usual, witty self.


	12. Hospital

Chapter 12

Riku was the first person to visit me.

"Hey," he said with a sad look on his face, and his voice sounded a little broken.

I was spooning a huge glob of yogurt into my mouth as he came in the door, and I don't think I'd ever been as excited to see his face.

"Oh, hi," I slurred through my classic vanilla. "I died!"

My voice held a sort of childish excitement that I realized it probably hadn't for a long time, and I saw the shadow of a smile cross his face.

"I know," he replied. "We thought you were dead."

"I was! See see!"

I shoved the certificate at him, and he laughed, but it sounded kind of humourless.

"Wow, some very bitter and cynical nurse must have been there, to write down the time of death and such while they were still trying to save you."

I scoffed and a little bit of yogurt went flying. Riku didn't say anything more, but he didn't really need to. That was one thing I had always loved about him; he didn't press me on shit that he knew I wasn't going to answer about (usually; sometimes he did just to get under my skin.) We didn't need words, because we understood each other fine.

The strange thing was, for one of the first times ever, it made me feel awkward. Suddenly I was desperate for his voice. I felt as if I needed to hear it again, or else maybe I never would.

I cast my thoughts around for something I could talk about, something I could nag about, God some stupid joke would have done.

"Why were you guys late the other day?" I burst out. "When I was walking? With the scarf? You said you'd tell me!"

This came out as a cry of despair, and Riku looked a little shocked at my passion on the subject. But I didn't care; I just wanted him to speak to me! Didn't he want to speak to me? I wasn't that bad to be around!

I realized before blurting all this out that I was practically losing my mind, being over dramatic, and with this I calmed quite quickly. I waited for an answer.

"Oh, well, it was nothing really," Riku said casually, though I sensed that he was trying to figure out why I wanted to know so badly. He cleared his throat. "You know that Wakka's older brother is pretty heavy into drugs and shit, along with that one friend of his, the guy who practically lives with them. He's pretty much Wakka's _other_ brother."

"Yeah. Reno. Friend named Axel. Hardcore heroin fests."

His voice was a little quieter next.

"And of course you know Roxas."

Of course I knew my cousin. I wasn't particularly close to him, because we were related through my father's family, and Dad didn't associate with his relatives.

"Yeah."

"Ugh, the poor kid is all messed up in some gang, and, I don't know, I guess Axel's become pretty good friends with him or something.." Riku seemed reflective at this. "Well, anyways, when Tidus and I got to Wakka's to pick him up– and, I mean, let's face it, he lives pretty far out– this kid was on their living room floor, stoned out of his goddamn mind and pretty much bleeding everywhere. He'd gotten beat up pretty bad. So Reno was trying to fix him up and Wakka was trying to calm Axel down... His parents are okay people, but I can't believe they're so involved in their work that they don't notice this stuff happening in their home! But, of course, they've been that way ever since Chappa..."

His parents had been workaholics ever since his little brother died. He'd been in a car accident, and they were so busy trying to get their minds off it that they ended up getting their minds off their other two kids.

"So, anyways," Riku concluded, "We were helping out. That's why we were late."

He sighed and looked away to the gifts sitting next to me. He smiled lightly but then glanced towards me again.

"Sora..." he started, and I cut him off.

"It was my fault, Riku," I told him quietly. "Ugh, I got in a fight when I came to school Monday morning, right off the bat; it's why I was coughing and hurt in first period." Surprisingly, the words had started to come out in a rush. If I was going to lie to him, I wanted to do it quick, and at least I would be partly truthful. "I guess I fucked my chest– well, er, my lungs, specifically. Anyways, I went outside for some fresh air during second period and ended up getting in another goddamn fight with the same asshole, and–" I shrugged. "Now I'm here."

He stared at me pensively. Then we heard a throat clearing.

There were two police officers standing at the door. One smiled gently and said, "So that's the official statement?"

I knew I was bright red.

"Er, if it needs to sound more official than that, I can edit out the swear words, but that's what happened, yes."

I hadn't realized there would be cops involved, (though I suppose I should expect no less; the hospital staff was probably appalled at my bruises when I came in that day) and now that they heard that, I couldn't change my tale in front of Riku. Besides, if Dad realized I had told on him, WHOOOO.

"Well," the second cop said, clearing his throat, "We do need to, sorry. I mean, you need an official transcript to press charges."

"I don't want to press charges."

The eyes of everyone in the room bugged.

"But, Sora–" Riku began, sounding choked.

"No," I continued, "It was my fault. I provoked him, and I lost the fight... Both fights, and, to be quite frank, I'm an idiot and hit my head on a sink as well– just don't ask–" I cut Riku off before he even started on that one. "I consider all my injuries to be my fault entirely, and I could probably have gotten them just as easily on my own. I'm not pressing charges."

The first cop sighed.

"Doesn't matter. We still need a statement. The police can press charges by themselves, without the victim's corroboration. We don't usually but sometimes it's necessary. It has to go through a panel. So, we'll need this guy's name and–"

"No!" I must have sounded like a child refusing to let Mommy put my blocks away.

"No," I repeated, and turned my head to look out the window. For some unfathomable reason, I could feel fury rising hot within me. I knew it was visible on my face. I didn't want to press charges, dammit! Hell, I was lying! I heard my heart monitor's speed increase radically as I grew more and more angry.

The cops were quietly protesting and trying to explain to me the seriousness of what was happening.

Suddenly a nurse came in. "Is there a problem?" she demanded, and said to the cops, "I'm sorry you'll have to leave. You're distressing the patient."

And I was about to protest, but she ushered Riku out too. I was alone again.


End file.
